How To Talk To Children About Tragic News Events

In the wake of the mass shooting that claimed at least 59 lives in Las Vegas and injured hundreds more, many people are left with unanswered questions. And some of these questions are coming from young children.

"Kids– it's scary how young they are when they first get access to some of these devices. You know, they're seeing all these videos and they're not quite old enough or mature enough to understand what it all means and it can be somewhat scary," Tina Olson, Clinical Director of the South Central Crisis Center for Horizon Homes.

Olson says even just seeing footage of disturbing events can lead to some form of trauma.

"It can lead to increased nightmares, being worried about their safety when they're out in the public. It kind of affects people in a lot of different ways," she says.

Olson says the most important thing is to let your child know that they have someone safe to talk to and come to with their questions.

"It's important for us to know what it is that they're being exposed to as well as having conversations with them at developmental appropriate levels to make sure that they have a good understanding of what is going on but also knowing that they're safe," she says.

And if they're older, asking them questions about how they feel so they can express their concerns.

"Each parent has to decide where their child is at and what that appropriate conversation looks like," Olson says.